Computing help and supportSharePoint Online allows groups to share and collaborate on working documents from anywhere and on a range of devices, interchangeably using online versions of Office applications and the versions installed on their computers.
However, SharePoint is not recommended for archive storage of files, and groups looking to transfer existing files into SharePoint are strongly urged to first audit their files and prune out old and no-longer-needed content.
Management of access permissions in SharePoint can quickly become complex and difficult to track. Any group planning to share content outside the group must be prepared to spend time on training and on regularly monitoring the sharing of files.
Note that support for the use of SharePoint in the University is currently limited.
A document can be edited by multiple people at the same time
Can be accessed from anywhere, from any device
Version control
Need to have a Microsoft account to use it
Management of access permissions can be complex, and mistakes easy to make
No ransomware protection
Support is limited
How to get access
A shared space on SharePoint is called a ‘site’, though there is no support for the development of web-based content. SharePoint sites are available in Engineering on request for Divisions, Groups and Offices.
If you are requesting a site on behalf of your group, please ensure you have authorisation from your PI, Group Leader or Office Manager.
To request a new SharePoint site please fill in the SharePoint Site Request Form. For any further queries regarding SharePoint please contact the Department’s SharePoint support team.